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2014-04-24 - We All Wear Masks
The trio of Titans had been patrolling along the Bay Area sometime late in the evening. An alert had been called in from a curio shoppe that had been turned into a museum and then just as quickly been called off as they monitored the police broadband. Hanging out on the rooftops and skulking down the alleyways of the Bay City might not be everyone's idea of fun. But as far as Arsenal is concerned it is a heck of a lot better than monitoring duty. Or for that matter better than sitting through another hour of children's television programming. He loves Lian to pieces but even the world's greatest dad would need a break from that sooner or later. Holding a finger to his ear as he listens to the report flash across the police band, the red headed archer glances around to get his bearings. "That's only a few blocks from here. Even if it's nothing it's worth looking into. Beats just randomly wandering, waiting to blunder into street crime anyway," he says with his customary grin. Starfire nods lightly, "It is not much, but likely better safe than sorry." three Titans going in to check someone breaking and entering would likely handle matters quickly as they went in over and dispatched towards the curio shoppe. Once there, they would smell the stench of ozone even from outside, and see an almost befuddled looking guard with lipstick smeared on his cheek gently rocking back and forth on his hips, giggling. The black cloaked Raven regards the guard with a detached, aloof air. She pauses, holding up a finger while her head cranes from the guard, back behind her. "Magic was used here." The words are a definite statement. No questioning at all. Using those magical senses, Raven follows the trail...back to the guard and beyond. "There's an item of mystical importance inside. The thief must be after that." While he might not be able to fly or teleport, Roy manages to get around just fine. It would be an... exaggeration to say that he keeps up with his teammates, but at least he doesn't hold them up unduly. From the vantage point the next building over it is easy to take in the scene and Arsenal's gaze flicks over the one-time curio shop, taking in particular the guard with arched brow. "Someone had a good time. I haven't looked like that since this one time I was making out with... well nevermind that," he says with an impudent grin before shooting a look Raven's way. "Magic? Really? I was kinda rooting for sorority girls gone wild." Raven would also likely detect a very recent magical portal having gone off within the museum, and the guard being under the effects of a potent geass, a mind altering spell as the trio went their way on in cautiously. From within, a pair of voices could be heard, one feminine, one masculine, "What vile sorts of things these inhabitants of Midgard have that make such noise." The alarm. There is a slight roll of the eyes, if anyone was watching Raven, as the voices are heard. She holds up a hand, indicating to stop, as she mutters off a single word. "Asgardians." Raven doesn't say any more, but her look speaks volumes. She isn't a big fan of Asgardians, it seems. Well that isn't great news. All things considered, even the weakest Asgardian tends to be a cut above your average burglar. A fairly big cut above. For his part the red headed archer doesn't really have any particular bias against them. Heck, he can admire the whole wine, women and song thing that a lot of them seem to have going on. But it doesn't mean that he wants to give them free reign in his town. "Really? There's something that they would want here? Here? I'm pretty sure we passed a display of lace doilies in the last room," Roy mutters, rolling his eyes as he edges his way along the wall, surreptitiously freeing his bow, gripping it loosely in one hand as he comes to the corner, quickly darting his head out to take in the room before ducking back behind cover. From within, there's an annoyed, "My dearest, it seems we have interlopers. Do be a wonderful creature and deal with them for me while I break the wards on what we're after?" Amora, the Enchantress. A hissing, "As you wish, my beloved." The hefting of what sounded like a heavy axe. Skurge, the Executioner. Well...there goes the idea of surprise. Raven turns to Starfire, those dark eyes focused upon the orange-skinned one. "I can handle the female. I sense her to be the magic user. The other, however, may be more difficult. Will you be able to defend the archer?" Not Roy, or even Arsenal. Just 'the archer.' "It will be difficult to defeat two." "No fair. I was totally about to call dibs on the hot blonde," Arsenal protests as he gives up the cover of the doorway, starting to back-peddle away from the hulking, axe-wielding maniac. At Raven's question to Starfire, Roy makes a face at her, sticking out his tongue. "I'm right here you know. And I have a name. This is why you don't get invited to any of the cool parties," he points out even as he nocks an arrow, bowstring drawn tight for a moment, only released when the Executioner appears in the doorway, letting the arrow fly. As Raven gives the orders quickly and Arsenal looses the arrow, Skurge swings the Bloodaxe through the air and cleaves the arrow in twain, "Is that the best you MIdgardians have? I would have expected better from a svartelf who had left the ground thick with mud!" Going to charge over towards the duo as Starfire flew in to try and punch at Skurge, only to be hammered away by a backhand! Raven would come upon Amora standing over a case which contained an old looking, wooden mask, and her fingers were weaving through the air. "A demon? They send a whelp after me? Begone, Infernal-Spawn or I shall send you back to the abyss that you fled from." Roy's comments get no rise out of Raven. Her expression remains as cool and collected as ever, as she flies over to the display case that the Enchantress is attracted to. However, Amora's retort does cause Raven to frown....slightly. "You, sorceress, have no place in this realm. Depart now, or prepare to face your darkest fears." As Raven speaks, her shadow grows, looming over her in a dark, fierce display. Shadow wings outstretched, the shadow Raven is in flight. "Don't worry, I'm just lulling you into a false sense of security," Arsenal explains glibly, continuing that slow and steady retreat towards the front of the building. While the reputation of the Asgardians might be known to them, reputations are one thing. Seeing them in action is something entirely different. And right now Roy needs to gain the measure of the man in front of him. So a second arrow follows the first, pulled from his quiver, nocked and fired smoothly. The third arrow comes even quicker and the fourth follows right on its heels as Roy demonstrates those reflexes that first earned him the name 'Speedy'. But when Starfire is casually cuffed aside, the archer's eyes narrow and when the next arrow leaps from his bow it is not the standard arrowhead there. Instead one of his taser arrows streaks across the room towards the Executioner. Amora regretfully turns her entire attention away from the magical item that she had been there for, "Do not tempt me to banish you, infernal child. For I have no regrets on sending you back to whatever wretched realm spawned you. And we of Asgard are made of sterner stuff than little birds." Fingers flashing, building up energy, going to blast at Raven with a series of ethereal bolts! Starfire was smashed over to the side by Skurge, the backhand sending her sprawling and the only thing stopping Skurge from slashing at her with the Bloodaxe being the taser arrow hitting him, "ARGH! This is what you Midgardians use? TOYS!" Smashing his fist overhead and firing an ice bolt from the Bloodaxe at Arsenal! With a flick of her hand, Raven's soul-self flows from behind her to in front of her, forming a sort of shield right in front of her. As the ethereal bolts fly, the energy seems to be just...absorbed...by the seemingly living darkness. That flick of the hand also had another effect. It acts as a focal point for her telekinesis...with the wooden mask being the target in this case. That hand flexes, pulling back on an invisible rope. The mask seems to tremble...as if wanting to fly to Raven. "I am not banished easily...." Raven's words fall in a monotone. "Let's see if you do." With that, the shadow shield ripples, throwing the magic bolts it just absorbed straight back to their source....Amora. One of the many advantages of being a master of the bow is the fact that Arsenal can sit can and take advantage of the distance between himself and his foe -- especially when they only have melee weapons to wield. So having the axe in the Executioner's hands suddenly turn into a ranged weapon is distinctly unfair. Plainly no one has explained to him the proper etiquette involved in a good fight. Fortunately Roy is an adaptable sort and once more he lives up to his old nickname, hurling himself away from the frozen bolt as he dives to the side, tucking into a roll and coming right back to one knee, already drawing his bow yet again. "If you think this is good, you should see what I can do with a few wooden blocks and a My Little Pony. You would be out cold by now," the redhead retorts, unphased as he looses another arrow. But this time it appears that his legendary aim is off, the missile shooting high and off the mark, embedding in the roof directly above the Executioner. A little glowing diode in the arrow blinks red once, twice, a third time. "Wait for it..." Roy urges with a smile. BOOM. There's a wicked hiss from the Executioner, "IF you wish to play the coward Midgardian and fight far off, I shall be happy to oblige you with a death at a distance!" His attempt otherwise at striking out at Roy was cut off as Starfire rose up, going to hammer at him over from the flank then and smashing into him as he smacked Starfire away once more through a wall, right as he turned to face Arsenal again, "Your aim is off, Midgardian. And pathetic at such close range where even a child could.." < BOOM > That's a literal when they say 'bring down the roof'. The museum was due for renovations anyways as Skurge was, at least temporarily, buried in plaster. There was a yelp from the other room from Amora then, hissing over as her magical bolts shot through, passing through Raven's essence, "But a mere parlour trick, Infernal Child. But a good one. But let us see how.." Right then as her magic bolts were sent back at her. Caught by surprise, they hit into her body, her own magic capable of bypassing her shield and sending her sprawling as she let out a loud howl of pain, firing out energy bolts in all directions, the room catching fire! Well...that wasn't supposed to happen. Raven's face shifts, just slightly, as a ghost of a smile had appeared when Amora was smacked down with her own magic. That smile faded quickly into a thin line as the fire breaks out. With a shift of her stance, Raven's soul-self leaves its defensive position in front of the gothic superhero, the shadow flying over towards the display case to pick up the mask within its dark confines. As the soul-self retrieves the mask, Raven herself starts chanting. Her hands dance in front of her, tracing complex patterns within the air before her as what seems to be demonic words fall from her lips. The power around her grows, the cloak billowing out as she releases her spell in a final crescendo. And what was the spell? It seems to be the demonic equivalent of Cone of Cold, as a blast of ice radiates out from Raven, with the intent of putting out the fire caused by the errant energy bolts. "How do you like my toys now?" Roy asks the pile of collapsed plaster and debris flippantly as he once more slings his box across his back. No doubt the owner will be a little peeved, and it's not that Roy *likes* to go around leaving thousands of dollars of property damage in his wake, but in this case it seemed rather justified. The redheaded archer starts over to check on the fallen Starfire when the Enchantress' magic goes nuts, those flashing beams setting fire to the building in multiple locations. Making sure that his fallen teammate is in no immediate danger, his gaze darts around the room, falling on the emergency fire panel. A swift elbow smashes the glass, the hose freed from its enclosure and the nozzle twisted as he brings it to life, beginning to blanket the nearest fires in that spray. And then, because he is who he is, that spray steadily trails across the room, inching closer and closer to Raven and her fallen foe. Wouldn't want them to catch on fire after all. The energy blasts gave the injured Amora a moment to recover, "You HURT me. I'll blast you so raw your screams will be agonizing to those who spawned you in the first place, Infernal Child!" Her fingers going up together, intent on weaving an intricate spell as Raven was focused more on fighting the fire then than Amora, or so Amora hoped.. Amora's blast would be a bolt of pure raw mana, a bolt of raw essence, trying to hit over at Raven's spirit self whether she was fully manifested or phased, something that if it impacted would feel like a raw blast of electricity searing her soul itself! Meanwhile, the sudden blast of water pouring from above, from the fire hose, from the fire suppression system kicking in and blasting fire retardant foam and water about at high velocity.. The plaster stirred. Then exploded out! Smashing his way out, "Not bad, Midgardian!" Bloodaxe held high, "But not good enough!" Skurge going to charge over at Arsenal before being tackled in the side over by Starfire! Raven's attention was definitely on the fire. She did not see the water hose coming closer to her...nor the build up of raw energy from Amora until it is too late. The water and the ball of pure hate both hit Raven at the exact same time. Hitting an empath that draws power from emotion with an emotion-filled orb of power is usually not a thing one wishes to do. The cry of pain is loud, especially for Raven, as the ice spell dissipates into nothingness. The young sorceress trembles, dripping wet from Roy's water games and shaking with anger. When Raven looks up, focusing her eyes upon Amora, those eyes are glowing....a deep red. "You....shouldn't....have....done.....that." Each word is separated by a pregnant pause as it is becoming quite apparent that Raven is struggling to retain control of her emotions. The battle is temporarily loss as Raven glares at Amora, her face twisted into a seething mask of hatred. "Foolish Asgardian! Face your greatest fears!" The soul-self streaks towards Amora and...with a rather violent lunge, swallows the Enchantress into the blackness. With Raven's power amplified from the anger and hate coursing through her, the ordeal Amora is about to go through may be great, as every dark secret fear is ripped from Amora and laid bare for her. Ouch. It's a good thing that Raven has someone else to focus her extremely negative attitude on right at the moment. Even still, totally worth it. Before he can insure that Amora receives a similar soaking however, his own foe explodes from that heap of rubble and gives Roy something to worry about besides his own amusements. There really isn't time to do anything about him unfortunately and the redheaded Titan doesn't even have time to bring that hose to bear before the hulking Asgardian is ontop of him. And then he is gone, just like that, knocked aside. "That's right, you tell your Asgardian friends. We run in packs," he says tauntingly as Starfire bears the axe-wielding warrior away from him. Rather than go for his bow again, Roy finishes what he started, bringing that hose to bear, directing the powerful spray right into the Executioner's face The water is little more than an annoyance to Skurge, but it keeps him raging and blinded then as Skurge howls! Smashing over at Starfire, the two exchanging brutal blows then, faster and faster before Skurge slashes over at her and sends her reeling once more with the Bloodaxe as she's smashed through one of the walls then, it collapsing over around her then and burying her in some of the debris! "AMORA!" Skuge lets out a yell! Amora is face to face with each fear, insecurity, self-hate, loathing, and each doubt all poured together into a crockpot and magnified a hundredfold and put to a boil then as she screams! She howls out with fear, with rage, and with anguish then as she lashes out, blasts flying everywhere as Raven unpeels her soul then and showers her in everything that she has kept inside and denied, forcing her to face a twisted version of what she denies on the outside as she babbles then as like a child, blubbering over and sobbing loudly, "STAY AWAY!" The soul-self drops to the floor, then draws slowly back into Raven, depositing the emotionally broken form of the Enchantress upon the floor. The mask itself makes it way to Raven's hand, a final deposit from her soul-self before retreating within. The goth shudders, finally wrestling control back from the blind fury she just experienced....the breathing becoming more regulated...more controlled. Raven turns her attention to the other Asgardian, her eyes their normal color, for now. "I suggest you leave. Now." While he might not be able to come anywhere close to matching strength with the Asgardian warrior, Arsenal is more than capable of keeping the man off balance, distracted and very, very annoyed. Especially the annoyed part. It would appear he has a particular knack for that. So as his axe-wielding foe turns and shouts for the blonde Enchantress, Arsenal draws the pair of fold-out, hand crossbows that are holstered at his waist, levelling them towards the Executioner, the grin still resting prominently on his face. Of course the water didn't just annoy and distract, but coating the man in it did serve another function. Water does conduct electricity so much better and the heads of the taser bolts loaded into his crossbows stand out prominently. "Yeah. What she said." The sound of Amora sobbing in wretched, fear, and anguish is enough to make Skurge startle, "What have you done to my beloved, Mongrel!? You shall pay a thousandfold!" Going over to Amora to rush and take her up in his arms right over for Amora to cradle him tightly while sobbing, the two being enveloped over in a surge of energy and then vanishing back over to whence they came then as Starfire dug herself out of the wreckage. Starfire rubs over at her bruised, bludgeoned, and stabbed body, "Are.. Are you all right?" To both her friends.